Polyhymnia was one of nine Greek muses who were said to inspire artists. She was the muse of songs to the gods.

Polyhymnia is a 25-voice chamber chorus under the direction of Steve Beck. The group specializes in music of merit that is not frequently performed, as well as recognized classics. Past programs have included works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Camille Saint-Saëns, Sigismondo d’India, Salamone Rossi, Arthur Foote, Pavel Chesnokov, Frederick Delius, Edward MacDowell, Amy Beach, Francisco Navarro, Darius Milhaud, Josef Rheinberger, Steven Paulus, Thomas Jennefelt, Libby Larsen, Paul Moravec, Paul Ayres, James MacMillan, Carl Loewe and Hugo Wolf -- as well as more familiar composers like Monteverdi, Purcell, Schubert, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Poulenc, and Britten. Programs consist entirely of choral music and typically feature a wide range of languages, styles and historical periods.

Polyhymnia was founded by Jim Klumpner in 1991 and directed by him for 22 years.

In 2013, after Jim retired as director, members of the chorus voted to form an unincorporated nonprofit association run by a five member Board and adopted Articles of Association and Bylaws. At the June 2017 annual meeting of members, the following members were elected to serve as Board members for the coming year: Lea-Ann Bigelow, Randi Blank, Robert Dennis,Lorie Nierenberg, Yanfang Parsons, and Deborah Whitman.